| Huff with Virginia in 2020 | |
| No. 32–Indiana Pacers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 25, 1997 Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Listed height | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Voyager Academy (Durham, North Carolina) |
| College | Virginia (2016–2021) |
| NBA draft | 2021: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2022 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2021–2022 | →South Bay Lakers |
| 2022–2023 | South Bay Lakers |
| 2023 | Washington Wizards |
| 2023 | →Capital City Go-Go |
| 2023–2024 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2023–2024 | →Grand Rapids Gold |
| 2024–2025 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2024–2025 | →Memphis Hustle |
| 2025–present | Indiana Pacers |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
James Matthew Huff (born August 25, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 7-foot-1 center known for his shot-blocking and perimeter shooting, Huff played four seasons of college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers, where he was part of the program's 2019 NCAA championship run and earned All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive Team honors as a senior. Undrafted in the 2021, Huff developed through multiple stints in the NBA G League and was named the NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets before earning rotation minutes with the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2024–25 season. In July 2025, Huff was acquired by the Pacers, where he established himself as a productive rim protector and stretch five off the bench.
Huff was a four-year varsity basketball player for Voyager Academy in Durham, North Carolina, where he was coached by his father, Mike. [1] On January 21, 2016, as a senior, he became his school's all-time leading scorer. [2] Huff led his team to the Class 1A state title, earning most valuable player honors after recording a triple-double of 14 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks in the final. [3] He finished the season averaging 16.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. [4]
A four-star recruit, Huff committed to play college basketball for Virginia. [5] Growing up minutes from the University of North Carolina, Huff was familiar with the region’s major basketball programs, but his thin frame and long-term development profile made him a better fit for Tony Bennett’s system at Virginia. The Cavaliers recruited him early, offering a clear development path in their defense-oriented scheme, and Huff committed to Virginia in May 2015. [5]
Huff redshirted his first year at Virginia to improve his strength and conditioning, gaining about 30 pounds (14 kg) before the start of the 2017–18 season. [4] He appeared in 12 games as a redshirt freshman, averaging 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game on 68 percent shooting from the field. [6]
Ahead of the 2018–19 season, Huff underwent surgery for a torn labrum that sidelined him for three to four months. [7] He returned to contribute to Virginia’s national championship run, averaging 4.4 points in 9.3 minutes per game on 60.4 percent shooting. [8] He delivered several high-impact performances, including 17 points and six blocks in a win over Georgia Tech on January 18, 2020 [9] and a near–triple-double of 15 points, 10 blocks and nine rebounds in a victory over Duke, making him the second player in program history with at least 10 blocks in a game. [10] Huff was a member of Virginia’s 2019 championship core alongside future NBA players De'Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome, with both later acknowledging his impact on that title team. [11]
As a junior in 2019–20, Huff set career highs with 8.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while anchoring one of the nation’s best defenses. [8] His development continued into his senior season, when offseason training—reportedly involving more than 18,000 practice shots with longtime family friend and coach Bob MacKinnon—helped him become one of college basketball’s most efficient two-way players. [12] In 2020–21, Huff averaged 13.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 58.5 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three, earning Second-team All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive Team honors.
Following the 2019–20 season, Huff entered the 2020 NBA Draft process before withdrawing and returning for his senior year. [13] After the 2020–21 season, he declared for the 2021 NBA Draft.
After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Huff joined the Washington Wizards for the 2021 NBA Summer League. [14] On September 21, 2021, he signed with the Wizards, [15] but was waived on October 13. [16]
On October 18, 2021, Huff signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. [17] On January 12, 2022, he was waived. [18]
On January 16, 2022, Huff was re-acquired by the South Bay Lakers. [19]
Huff joined the Los Angeles Lakers' 2022 NBA Summer League roster. [20] In his Summer League debut for the Lakers, Huff scored nine points and seven rebounds in a 100–66 win against the Miami Heat. [21]
On July 27, 2022, Huff signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. [22] He was waived on October 15, 2022. [23] He subsequently re-joined South Bay.
On March 2, 2023, Huff signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards. [24] On April 4, he was named NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 4.0 blocks per game. [25]
On July 3, 2023, Huff joined the Houston Rockets Summer League team. [26]
On July 18, 2023, Huff signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets. [27]
On July 24, 2024, Huff signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. [28] On October 26, he scored a career high eighteen points in a home victory against the Orlando Magic and two days later, he signed a multi-year contract with the Grizzlies. [29] Huff made 64 appearances (two starts) for Memphis during the 2024–25 NBA season, averaging 6.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists.
On July 6, 2025, Huff was traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a 2029 second-round pick and a 2031 second-round pick swap. [30] On November 19th, 2025, Huff scored a career high of 20 points against the Charlotte Hornets.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | L.A. Lakers | 4 | 0 | 5.1 | .000 | .000 | — | 1.0 | .3 | .3 | .3 | .0 |
| 2022–23 | Washington | 7 | 0 | 13.6 | .600 | .500 | .938 | 3.0 | 1.4 | .4 | .6 | 7.3 |
| 2023–24 | Denver | 20 | 0 | 2.5 | .600 | .333 | 1.000 | .6 | .1 | .1 | .2 | 1.2 |
| 2024–25 | Memphis | 64 | 2 | 11.7 | .515 | .405 | .786 | 2.0 | .6 | .3 | .9 | 6.9 |
| Career | 95 | 2 | 9.6 | .520 | .404 | .824 | 1.7 | .5 | .2 | .7 | 5.4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Memphis | 2 | 0 | 9.0 | .500 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.5 | .5 | .0 | 1.5 | 4.0 |
| Career | 2 | 0 | 9.0 | .500 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.5 | .5 | .0 | 1.5 | 4.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Virginia | | ||||||||||
| 2017–18 | Virginia | 12 | 0 | 8.8 | .680 | .286 | .625 | 1.9 | .3 | .1 | 1.2 | 3.4 |
| 2018–19 | Virginia | 34 | 0 | 9.3 | .604 | .452 | .667 | 2.1 | .2 | .2 | .7 | 4.4 |
| 2019–20 | Virginia | 30 | 18 | 25.0 | .571 | .358 | .540 | 6.2 | .8 | .4 | 2.0 | 8.5 |
| 2020–21 | Virginia | 25 | 25 | 27.0 | .585 | .387 | .837 | 7.1 | 1.0 | .5 | 2.6 | 13.0 |
| Career | 101 | 43 | 18.3 | .588 | .386 | .679 | 4.5 | .6 | .3 | 1.6 | 7.6 | |
Both of Huff's parents are former college basketball players. His father, Mike, played for Pacific Lutheran University, and his mother, Kathy, played for West Virginia. [4] Mike was the director of the Michael W. Krzyzewski Human Performance Laboratory at Duke University. [31]
Huff is a member of the Chi Alpha Christian fellowship at the University of Virginia and aspires to become a minister when he retires from basketball. [31]